DLA Piper - IS0 14001
Achieving ISO 14001 certification for all eight UK office locations in 2003 was the foundation for DLA Piper’s push towards its goal of global certification, which it achieved in 2007.
DLA Piper believes that as a global legal services provider the company has a responsibility to take environmental issues seriously. In line with these beliefs, we achieved ISO 14001 certification in 2003 for all eight UK office locations. ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that sets out how you can go about putting in place an effective Environmental Management System (EMS).
The EMS that was developed in the UK offices was seen as the main tool by which we could minimise the company’s environmental footprint. By collecting data from each office about major environmental impacts, we can assess where there is the greatest need and the greatest potential for improvement. Using the data collected we are then able to monitor the success of office-specific initiatives with a view to rolling them out more widely and ensure the firm stays ahead of regulatory changes and is compliant with environmental laws.
Recognising the importance of the EMS in meeting carbon and other environmental goals, it was decided to go for global certification.
The work carried out in the UK set the foundation for achieving global certification to ISO14001, which was accomplished in December 2007. Extending the EMS beyond the UK to a further 56 locations across the world required commitment, co-ordination, and a significant level of financial and resource investment.
Top-level commitment was essential and this was symbolised by the joint global Chief Executive Officers signing a Global Environmental Policy Statement in June 2007. This commitment was key to unlocking resources that were needed to achieve certification. The organisation of the project involved individuals from a variety of departments including Facilities, Corporate Social Responsibility and Risk Management. Because businesses are accredited to ISO 14001 on a site-by-site basis (rather than as a whole organisation), individual 'Environmental Co-ordinators' from each office were involved in carrying out the groundwork at each location.
Including the HSE consultant and external auditors, there were close to 100 people involved. Keeping this number of people on track required close co-ordination and the fostering of relationships within the firm as well as outside.
To ensure the principles of ISO 14001 were integrated into individual offices and globally, the firm organised training for local Environmental Co-ordinators. Each co-ordinator was taught about the principles of ISO 14001, and what their individual responsibilities were with respect to addressing environmental issues and providing environmental data.
The phased approach, from UK to global, was very effective for us, as without our experiences of UK certification, the task of achieving global certification would have been much more difficult. However, despite our experience with the standard, extending EMS beyond the UK to a further 56 locations was no mean feat and required serious commitment and resource investment.
There are significant financial costs that need to be taken into account before pursuing certification to ISO 14001. Aside from direct fees and consultants' and auditors' fees, the major cost came from training our local Environmental Co-ordinators. The travel and time expenses associated with bringing people in 56 offices up to speed was considerable.
Using an external auditor was really important, as their objective stance helped put in perspective what we could achieve and enabled us to understand the nature of our undertaking and the depth required to reach each goal.
• Although coordinating so many people across different offices was a challenge, many benefits have been realised from closer ties between offices and business units.
• The EMS is now our main tool to enable us to minimise our environmental footprint. By collecting data from each office about major environmental impacts, we are now able to assess where there is the greatest need and the greatest potential for improvement. We can monitor the success of office-specific initiatives with a view to rolling them out more widely. We can stay ahead of regulatory changes and ensure compliance with environmental laws.